November 2025 minutes

2025 minutes 0

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Wolverhampton, Bilston & District Trades Union Council

Delegate Meeting Minutes of Thursday 20th November 2025

Present online: (delegates in bold): Robert Lipke, Nick Kelleher, John Oakley, John Clarke UNITE WM/6150; Marie Taylor UNITE LE/372; Penny Welch, Metka Potocnik, Karin Dannehl UCU Wolverhampton University, Michael Vaughan Unison Staffordshire; Ali Rahimi, Dick Scroop UNITE WM5115, Graham Childs CWU, Jane Ceresa, Simon Cardy UNISON City of Wolverhampton, Sonia Wilkins, Harbinder Singh Unison Wolverhampton Acute; Luke Guy, Jean Hancox
Apologies: Jacqui Coogan, Tom Mohan, Si Goode, Kieran Bott, Tim Martin

  1. Minutes of last Delegate Meeting (October) & Matters Arising
  2. EC report & correspondence of note
  1. Black Country & Enslavement research project: Booklets 500 of each left to distribute; NEU to circulate to members; written to LP councillors re schools/libraries also to UCU; delivered some to unions; MV to contact Staffordshire Libraries; Wolverhampton Archives (is arranged, need to be delivered); Chainmakers festival (maybe sell what’s left on stall next July?) Next steps? EC to look at project again in Feb 26
  2. Workers’ Memorial Day stone –consultation completed, no objections; Estates Dept now given go-ahead; licence to be granted once exact date of erection known; NK&RM to place order with stonemasons., £3,180 inc VAT and erection
  3. Countering Far-right: Sat 15 Nov 11am Britannia Hotel counter-protest – report and letter to police circulated; meetings of organisers ongoing. Hotel houses women and children too. neo-Nazi Patriotic Alternative seemed to have taken over the far right protest; female counter protesters and children were threatened by them and have targeted them online since. UCU Women raised issue that these far-right protests are certainly not about protecting women or girls. MP informed. Meeting with WJ planned. Council’s Safety Advisory Group to be contacted. Also report on far-right organisers locally circulated to delegates. New Hope Not Hate research on Reform voters has been published and contradicts the Home Secretary’s pandering to Reform as the answer. leaflet highlighting anti-worker element of Reform designed, comments made; once finished to ask re distribution and then place printing order.
  4. Education unions round-table MT arranged 1st Dec 4pm-6pm; venue to be confirmed and circulated; UNITE contacted.
  5. General strike centenary pamphlet designed – agreed to print 200 copies for £142; – draft has been put online now; thanks to PW for suggestions https://wolvestuc.org.uk/when-workers-ruled-wolverhampton-and-bilston/
  6. Michael Mansfield lecture 5 Dec Coventry on right to protest (Tom Mann lecture)
  7. 2024 accounts MV/AT to sign off audit
  8. 2026 WB&DTUC affiliation forms sent out
  9. CODIR (Iran TU solidarity) AGM Sat 6 Dec online 4.30pm to 6.30pm – MT to confirm if available as delegate else NK.
  10. How to produce social media against Reform/far-right webinar and guide – to be circulated. Used to produce video for 15 Nov which had 1,000 views, 4x any of our other videos ever on YouTube.
  1. delegate reports: ASLEF report from SG – locally supported Dave Calfe, former president was elected general secretary since Mick Whelan is retiring. Significant majority and 33% turnout high for a union gen sec election. Member vote accepted negotiated pay deal.
  2. TUCJCC report circulated
  3. Secretary report circulated; NK took part in TUC Midlands- Festival Working Group which was mostly trades council reps
  4. Wolverhampton Palestine Solidarity Campaignprotest at University Architecture dept. over Israeli sponsored conference. This has come about due to a UK/israel government agreement on science.. TU conference 22 Nov; Sat 29 Nov will be 34th national demo in last 2 years
  5. any other business – Delegates agreed December meeting to be online and January AGM hybrid and to request Unite office. Have in person meetings in March.
  6. @8pm speaker – Dick Scroop on recent changes to the right to protest.

Dick is the former Wolverhampton TUC secretary, activist of UNITE Community branch and for Palestine and recently arrested under terrorism laws. Full speech at https://wolvestuc.org.uk/the-people-versus-the-state/